Record sheet and stencil assembly



March 28, 1961 J. H. MASON RECORD SHEET AND STENCIL ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 26, 1958 CUSTOMERS INVOICE S fi N mM w A NSWT m w J m K I 6 Y B March 28, 1961 MASON 2,976,802

RECORD SHEET AND STENCIL ASSEMBLY Filed March 26, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 6 l3 501.0 SHIP To JOHN 005 8 ((1,

XXX 5' TREE T,

RICHMOND VA L J L l INVENTOR.

JACK H MASON A ATTORNEYS RECORD SI-EET' AND STENCIL ASSEMBLY Jack H. Mason, Princess Anne, Va., assignor to The Multistamp Company, Norfolk, Va., a partnership Filed Mar. 26, 1958, Ser. No. 724,155

l'Claim. (C1. 101-1281) This invention relates to record sheets, such as invoice forms or other business forms, and stencil assemblies, and more particularly to an improved sheet unit or assembly comprising one or more record sheets and a stencil device including a frame and a stencil sheet detachably'mounted on the, or one of the record sheets.

In accordance with one widely used business record practice, a pack of record sheets such as invoice forms is typed with the required data, including shipping instructions or address with a stencil sheet positioned over the part of the record sheet on which the shipping instructions or address is to be typed. The stencil sheet is so positioned by the typist, for example by clipping it onto the record sheet or by simply feeding it into the typewriter in manifolded relation to the record sheet in the ordinary way of inserting sheets into a typewriter. After typing, the stencil is removed and mounted on a stencil duplicator for printing shipping tags, labels or the like. The correct positioning of the stencil sheet relative to the record sheet as generally practiced prior to the present invention has required considerable care and consequently additional time.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved record sheet and stencil manifold or assem bly pack or the like which may be furnished to the user as a unit, with a stencil attached to a record sheet in the proper position, according to the record sheet form, the stencilbeing easily detachable from the record sheet so that the latter may be transmitted as required or filed, and the stencil then attached to a stencil duplicator for making shipping tags or labels, or for other duplicating purposes.

2,976,802 Patented Mar. 28, 1961 ice the shipping instructions or address and subsequent removal of the stencil frame body and stencil sheet; and

Figure 5 is a perspective View of a hand stamp stencil duplicator device with the removed stencil frame body portion and stencil sheet attached.

The record sheet and stencil manifold pack assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes a plurality of relatively thin record sheets 1, joined along one edge as at 2 in any suitable way such as by adhesive interposed between the upper edge portions of the sheets 1. Only three record sheets are shown, the topmost being, for example, a Customers Invoice. sheet may be a Duplicate Invoice and the third a File Copy. More or less record sheets may be included in the pack, according to the particular business practice used. Behind or below each of the two topmost record sheets is a transfer medium for causing typed impressions made on the top sheet 1 to be carried on through and onto the several underlying record sheets. In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transfer medium is provided by interleaved sheets of carbon tissue 3 adhered along their upper edges as at 4 to the record sheet 1 under which each carbon tissue is positioned. Each record sheet 1 may be printed and ruled according to a predetermined form suited to the particular business practices of the user, the sheets 1 usually including a block or space generally designated 5 in which the purchasers name is to be typed and a block generally designated 6 in which the shipping instructions or address is to be typed. A scored or perforated line 7 may be formed in each sheet 1 to facilitate severing of the record sheets from each other fordistribution individually. Record sheet assemblies of the kind described to this point are generally conventional and well known.

Many business establishments follow the practice of clipping or otherwise positioning a stencil device over the space for the shipping instructions or address, that is the Another object of the invention is to provide an improved pack or assembly of the class referred to in which the stencil device includes a frame on which a stencil sheet is mounted, an attaching portion only of the'frame being secured to the underlying record sheet and the body portion of the frame with the stencil sheet thereon being easily severable from the frame attaching portion, leaving the latter secured to the record sheet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pack, or assembled manifolding unit as outlined above in which the stencil frame is thicker and stronger than the record sheet or sheets, so that when the stencil frame body portion is severed from the frame attaching portion the latter reinforces the adjoining record sheet and prevents inadvertent tearing of the record sheet.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a record sheet and stencil assembly embodying the invention in one form;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure l, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing a modified form;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, but after typing of space 6 indicated in Figure l. structions are typed, the stencil is cut to be capable of subsequently reproducing the instructions, and simultaneously the type impressions are made on the several record sheets 1 through a transfer medium between the stencil and the top record sheet and through transfer media interposed between the several record sheets. The stencil device is then removed and used for duplicating the shipping instructions or addressee identification on tags, labels, shipping records and so on.

Difiiculty has been encountered in following this conventional practice because of the time required to align the stencil device with the record sheet block 6 with sufficient accuracy. This extra operation requires sulficient additional time to result in substantial expense whenaccumulated throughout the typing of many record sheet and stencil assemblies. In accordance with the present invention, a record sheet and stencil assembly is supplied to the user as a unit with the stencil attached to the top record sheet so as to eliminate the necessity for the typist to take time to align the stencil and record sheets properly. The stencil device is so formed and attached to the record sheet that the stencil may easily be detached without tending to tear the record sheet or sever it prematurely from the pack of multiple record sheets.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the stencil device indicated generally at 8 comprises a frame 9 of relatively thick strong material, for example cardboard, and a stencil sheet 10 of waxed tissue mounted marginally on the frame 9. The stencil sheet 10' is. coated on its underside 10 that is the side adjacent to the topmost record sheet 1, with a transfer medium for causing the type impressions to be made on the topmost sheet 1 when the stencil is being cut. The sheet 10 may be The next underlying record When the shipping in mounted on the frame 9 in any suitable manner such 'as by adhesive between the margin of the sheet 10 and the frame 9.

The frame 9 is formed with a weakened portion between the outer edge 11 of the top of the frame as viewed in Figure l and the adjacent frame inner edge 12, the weakened portion being provided, for example, by a scored or perforated line 13 which separates the frame 9 into a body portion 14 on which the stencil sheet 10 is mounted and an attaching strip 15 which is secured to the topmost record sheet 1 by adherence or other means just below the scored or perforated line 7.

The record sheet and stencil assembly 10 as described above and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is furnished to the customer in readiness for use with the stencil device 8 correctly located relatively to the block .6 on the topmost record sheet 1. in use, the entire assembly is inserted into the typewriter in the normal way and the shipping instructions are typed so as to cut the stencil and make the type impressions on the several record sheets. This having been done, and the form sheets typed with the required other information, the typist grasps the assembly, exerting finger pressure on the stencil frame attaching portion 15, and then severs the stencil frame body portion 14 with the adhered stencil sheet 19 by tearing along the line 13. Because of the attaching portion 15 being relatively thick and strong as compared to the record sheets 1, and because of the exertion of finger pressure on the attaching portion 15 with the sheets 1 being squeezed against the back of the attaching portion 15, the sheets 1 are firmly held and reinforced so that tearing of the stencil frame body portion 14 from the attaching portion 15 will not result in inadvertent tearing of the top record sheet 1 along the scored or perforated lines 7. The sheets 1 will be separated along the lines 7 only subsequently and as intended. Furthermore, the thickness and strength of the stencil frame attaching portion 15 are such as to distribute finger pressure over the underlying record sheets and intervening transfer medium so as to prevent transferring of an impression of the finger which would appear as smudging on the sheets 1 where grasped.

The detached stencil frame body portion 14 and adhered stencil sheet 10- may then be mounted upon or attached to a hand stamp stencil duplicator of a well known kind shown in Figure 5. Preferably, the stencil frame ,9 is formed with cut-out portions 17 for receiving clips 13 on the hand stamp stencil duplicator 16, thus assisting in locating the stencil accurately with relation to the duplicator 16. The duplicator 16 with the stencil attached may then be used in a conventional manner for reproducing the shipping instructions or address on shipping tags, labels, or the like. The shipping instructions or address thus reproduced by the stencil device will of course agree with the shipping instructions or address appearing in the block'6 on the record sheet as shown in Figure 4 after detaching the stencil frame body portion from the attaching portion.

Figure 3 shows an assembly similar to that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, with the exception that in the Figure 3 assembly a separate carbon sheet or tissue 19 is adhered along its upper edge to the back of the stencil frame so as to lie between the stencil sheet 10 and the topmost record sheet 1, the carbon sheet or tissue 19 serving the same general purpose as the coating 10 of transfer material on the back of the stencil sheet 10 shown in Figure 2. The assembly shown in Figure 3 is used in the same manner as that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4. Although in both illustrated forms of the invention, the manifolded record sheets 1 are shown as being connected together along their upper edges, the invention is applicable as well to assemblies in which the record sheets are secured together along other edges, for example along their bottom edges.

The assemblies shown embody the invention in preferred forms, but it is intended that the disclosure be illustrative rather than definitive, the invention being defined in the claim.

I claim:

A manifold record sheet pack comprising a plurality of relatively thin record sheets joined together along one edge of the pack with transfer medium intervening bej tween said record sheets, said record sheets being formed with weakened portions extending parallel to and transversely spaced from said one edge of said pack; a stencil device including 'a stencil sheet and a relatively thick stencil frame on which said stencil sheet is mounted, said frame having a weakened portion extending between one outer edge of said frame and the adjacent inner edge of said frame to separate said frame into a body portion to which said stencil sheet is marginally connected and a relatively thick attaching strip portion from which said body portion with said stencil sheet attached thereto may easily be detached by severance along said frame weakened portion; and means securing said attaching strip portion, between said frame weakened portion and said outer edge of said frame, to, the top record sheet of said pack with said one outer edge of said frame closely adjacent to and parallel to the weakened portion of said top record sheet on the sideof said last named weakened portion opposite said one edge of said pack, said relatively thick attaching strip portion being finger graspable together with said record sheets when detaching said stencil frame body portion from said attaching strip portion while leaving said relatively thick attaching strip portion secured to said top record sheet, said attachingstrip portion, because of its thickness, enabling said record sheets to be finger held so firmly during detaching of said stencil frame body portion from said top record sheet as to reinforce said top record sheet against being torn, the distribution of finger pressure by said relatively thick stencil frame attaching strip portion preventing such localized squeezing of said record sheets togetherv as would cause record sheet smudging by unintended transferring of said transfer medium.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,256,510 Belknap Feb. 19, 1918 1,445,447 Pritchard Feb. 13, 1923 2,263,435 Brenn Nov. 18, 1941 2,335,992 Biskind Dec. 7, 1943 2,674,940 Carney Apr. 13, 1954 2,771,026 Mooney Nov. 20, 1956 

